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While the automobile market in both Europe and Germany has grown only slightly or even stagnated for a number of years, new registrations in the compact van segment have continuously increased. From 1999 to 2004, the compact vans’ share of the passenger car market in Europe climbed from 2.4 percent to more than seven percent. Forecasts predict further growth and levels of over ten percent in the year 2010. If the Meriva compact van segment is added, experts predict a share of the overall passenger car market as high as 17 to 18 percent in 2010. Opel is well positioned with these monocabs and has strongly influenced this segment’s growing importance with pioneering innovations. The Zafira debuted in spring 1999 as the first seven-seat compact van with the Flex7 system’s fully retractable third row of seats. This was followed in the summer of 2000 by the Agila, the first microvan from a European manufacturer, and in 2003 by the Meriva with the multi-variable FlexSpace concept in the minivan segment.

Successful trendsetter: Around 1.4 million first-generation Zafira

The first-generation Opel Zafira successfully defended its position as a trendsetter despite ever-increasing competition in the segment. Its success story is unrivalled. As the first van with fully retractable seats in the third row, it surpassed all expectations from the very start and redefined the market for compact vans – accompanied by decidedly positive media coverage as well as numerous prizes and awards. These included “Car of the Year” in various European countries a number of times, and readers of the German specialist journals “AUTO Strassenverkehr” and “mot” chose the Zafira as the “Most Attractive Car” in the compact van class four consecutive times.

In Germany the Zafira immediately went to number one in its class when it was launched, and stayed there for four years in a row. The seven-seat van was equally successful elsewhere in Europe and was market leader in compact vans in Belgium, Great Britain, Austria and Switzerland for a number of years. A total of around 1.4 million first-generation Zafiras were built and sold.

Two factors were decisive for the Zafira’s success: it was the first fully-fledged seven-seat model in the compact van segment and with its Flex7 seating system, offered a still unrivalled versatile seating concept that was extremely easy to operate. With a few simple adjustments, Flex7 turns the Zafira from a comfortable seven-seater into a six, five, four, three or two-seater with generous cargo space in a matter of seconds, without having to remove or cumbersomely stow away the seats.

The new Zafira is ideally positioned to continue its predecessor’s success story. The unique, versatile Flex7 seating system, which has been refined, is complemented by a host of new, attractive features, including:

• dynamic design and driving performance
• high quality and interior with high-class look and feel
• a driver-oriented cockpit
• a comprehensive safety concept
• the world’s first panorama roof system
• an incomparably wide range of engine/transmission combinations
• a maintenance-free particulate filter standard with diesel versions
• two-year manufacturer´s warranty with no kilometer limit
• extraordinarily diverse program of comfort, convenience and high-tech equipment, including systems available for the first time in this class, such as Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL) with dynamic curve light and IDSPlus chassis with Continuous Damping Control (CDC)
• the FlexOrganizer system for clever cargo management

The largest markets for the new Zafira remain Germany at the top of the list, as well as Great Britain, France and Italy. Marketing experts at Opel expect to find large customer potential within the ranks of previous Zafira owners, as satisfaction with their car gives them more than enough reason to remain loyal to the Opel brand.

Source: Internal